Jannik Sinner Reveals Reason Behind All-Black Outfit After Comeback Win at Italian Open

Jannik Sinner knocked out Argentina's Mariano Navone and scheduled a third-round clash with Jesper De Jong at the Italian Open.

Jannik Sinner Reveals Reason Behind All-Black Outfit After Comeback Win at Italian Open

Jannik Sinner (Image via X/GamebredSports)

Jannik Sinner is back on tour! He has served his three-month doping ban and in his comeback match, he went past Mariano Navone in the second round of the Italian Open on Saturday (May 10).

It was his first match since the final of this year’s Australian Open where the 23-year-old breezed past World No.2 Alexander Zverev to defend his crown. Following his match against Navone, Sinner was asked during the on-court interview about the reason behind his choice of outfit as he wore an all-black Nike kit for the home tournament.

In Rome here, if we watch the last times when I played, I always played in whole black. It’s something what I always wanted to keep in a way. Can change in the future this, yes. But I love having all in the same color. I believe it suits me quite well. I like not the yellow and orange and these very bright colors. I like more the darker colors.

Jannik Sinner said

Sinner was smiling when he admitted that he has a long way to go when it comes to fashion outside of the tennis courts. The youngster attended the Milan Fashion Week while serving his doping ban in February and sat in the first row with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Sinner failed the drug test twice in March last year and almost a year later, he was punished for the ignorance of his team members. His former physio Giacomo Naldi was using a contaminated spray bought from Italy by Sinner’s former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) initially demanded a lengthy ban on the Italian, approaching the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for the same. But a few months before the scheduled hearing, WADA resolved the case and gave Sinner a ban of three months. The ban didn’t force him to miss Grand Slam tournaments as the second Major of the season, the French Open, starts on May 25.

Jannik Sinner makes his feelings clear on his mindset at the Italian Open

Jannik Sinner missed several ATP 500 and four Masters 1000 tournaments due to the doping ban. He entered the tournament without having match practice.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/GamebredSports)

And although he did produce a strong performance, he still has some doubt about whether he would be able to pull off such results on a surface where he has claimed just one title (the 2022 Umag Open). Sinner, who extended his winning streak to 22 matches, said he entered the tournament with a different attitude.

I must understand what to do better for the next round. I hope to play a couple more matches to see where I stand; that would be my main goal. Everything else is positive. It was a great start to my comeback; we’ll see what lies ahead.

Jannik Sinner said at the press conference

Sinner is playing his home tournament for the first time since 2023 as last year, an injury forced him to skip it. Last year on the clay swing, Sinner produced his best performance when he reached the semifinals of the French Open where he lost a five-set thriller to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner could meet Alcaraz if both of them reach the final.

Sinner’s next opponent is qualifier Jesper De Jong, who went past Alexander Shevchenko and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina before setting up the clash with the World No.1. The three-time Grand Slam champion met the 24-year-old only once: in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open. His win over Mariano Navone was his 60th victory over opponents outside of the top 20 since the 2023 US Open.

Also read: Coco Gauff Bitterly Complains About the Italian Open’s Slow Conditions After Opening Round Victory